The Next Act? A Republican Comeback

EDITORIAL

Competitive political environment is best

November 15, 2012

It's been just a blink of the eye, historically speaking, since Republicans had a lock on the governor's office in Hartford and there were three Republicans in Connecticut's five-member congressional delegation.

In politics, change can happen fast.

In Connecticut, Republican losses at the polls on Nov. 6 shouldn't make Democrats smug. It ought to serve as the spur for a GOP comeback.

For example, Republicans are likely to nominate a competitive candidate for governor in 2014 to challenge Democrat Dannel P. Malloy, who won by only 6,000-some votes in 2010. And there doubtless will be another tight race in the 5th Congressional District, but this time the Democratic incumbent, Elizabeth Esty, who won a close race last week, won't have presidential coattails to help.

We hope the ballot is filled with competitive races and can't-lose-either-way choices. Competition in politics and government is as good for the consumer as is competition in business. Competition generates ideas and leads to useful compromise. One-party rule inevitably grows stale, comfortable and unimaginative.

No one's denying that the Republican Party suffered severe losses this election year. In New England, the party gave up congressional gains it had made in 2010 and is back to where it was in 2008: There is not a single Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from any of the six states. That's unhealthy.

In Connecticut, Democrats won a U.S. Senate seat, swept the congressional races and kept their strong majorities in both the state House and Senate.

There's a way out of this one-party dominance. It starts with Republicans recruiting more candidates like Andrew Roraback, the moderate who ran for the 5th District U.S. House seat and may run again in two years, and Steve Obsitnik, the GOP nominee in the 4th Congressional District.

If Republicans nominate candidates in the classic Connecticut mold — advocates for economic growth, efficient government and environmental protection who take moderate stances on social issues — they will again break through.

They also need to develop a clear, simple, unified message.

Of course it would help the chances of whichever party is in the minority if more districts were in play. Unfortunately, redistricting every 10 years is pretty much an incumbent-protection racket.